Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 Review
Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 Review
Like anyone with an interest in vintage aesthetics, I admired old Polaroids. I know that you can still get retro Polaroid instant camera's now, they are really expensive and the affordable alternative is the Fujifilm Instax series. The Fujifim Instax series consists of the mini 8, mini 9, sqaure and wide. The mini 9 is the latest edition to the series and they come in Flamingo Pink, Ice Blue, Smoky White (the one I have), Lime Green and Cobalt Blue. A nice selection, although I personally preferred the colour options of the mini 8, which had a lighter pink, yellow and purple. As an alternative to a Polaroid it is a lot cheaper to use in the long run, Polaroid 600 film (the iconic square one) costs £17 for 8 and upwards of £50 for multipacks, yes you may be paying for quality but most likely also for branding too. Instax film, you can get a pack of 20 for £15, and a pack of 10 for £9.
I got my camera as a birthday present, I got to pick the colour, so I chose smoky white. The camera retails at £70, much more affordable than Polaroid camera's that retail for upwards of £130.
In the box, there was a smaller box (the box pictured above) and a packet of 10 film. Inside the smaller box was a strap, a close up lens, the camera, batteries, a sticker and some instructions in various languages.
Using the camera for the first time was an experience, the camera has a dial with different light settings, I wasn't sure how it worked until after I took the first photo. The dial is around the shutter and you don't really change the settings, the camera changes light settings automatically, for example, when you step outside the little setting points above the dial light up and then swap from indoor to sunshine settings. It was pretty cool finding out that that's how it worked.
The photo quality depends on how you take the photo but it can be greatly affected if you open the back of the camera (where the film goes) prematurely. I made that mistake being curious of what would happen. Luckily nothing bad happened but it did confuse the camera as the little countdown to show how much film is left reset to 10 when I knew there was only 6 shots left. As it registered as a new pack of film you will lose a shot as it thinks its not film but the cover for the film. If you take the film out and expose it to light it will damage the film, and your shots will not look the best.
Overall, If you're looking for a cheap alternative to an old Polaroid camera, I definately recommend the Fujifilm Intstax mini 9. It's a good camera if you want the novelty of instant printing camera's without the costs of Polaroids.
Thank you for reading,
- Terry xx
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